Tag: South and Central Asia

At least six civilians and two Pakistani troops killed as clashes along frontier continue Indian and Pakistani soldiers have targeted each others posts and villages along the volatile frontier in disputed Kashmir, killing at least six civilians and two Pakistani troops, officials said. Tensions have been running high since Indian aircraft crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday, carrying out what India called a pre-emptive strike against militants blamed in what Islamabad described as a peace gesture. Map Fighting resumed, however, overnight on Friday. Pakistans military said two of its soldiers had…

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in December after reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims Two Reuters journalists arrested in Myanmar while investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslims have been found guilty of breaching the countrys Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in prison. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are being held in prison in Yangon after being arrested in December, in a landmark case that has prompted international outrage and been seen as a test of progress towards democracy in the…

Festival co-founder urges government to make it easier for international artists to perform in Britain The musician Peter Gabriel has expressed alarm over UK foreign policy after a number of international artists were unable to perform at artists declined invitations to perform at Womad, with many citing the difficulty of entering the country under the automated visa system that first created issues for the festival in 2017. Whether their perceptions are real or inflamed, the reality is that artists are deciding that the hassle and cost of entering the UK…

Former cricketer strikes unifying tone after campaign marred by violence and vote that opponents say was rigged The former international cricket star Imran Khan has declared victory in Pakistans general election, hailing what he described as the fairest vote in the countrys history, despite widespread allegations it was rigged in favour of his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. In a televised address to the nation from his house in Bani Gala, a wealthy suburb of Islamabad, Khan struck a unifying tone, pledging to rise above personal attacks and lift up the poor.…

Corruption charges related to purchase of London flats, with verdict likely to affect election The former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption in a verdict likely to influence the general election the Panama Papers leak, published by the Guardian and others in 2016. The court also sentenced Sharifs daughter and presumed political heir, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, to seven years imprisonment, fined the family 10m and ordered the seizure of the Imran Khan, the former cricketer and leader of the main opposition…

US president tweets saying Pakistan is providing safe haven to terrorists and America was foolish to give $33bn in aid Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of lies and deceit, saying America was foolish to have given Islamabad more than $33bn in aid. Trump began the new year by launching an attack on Islamabad in his first tweet of 2018, saying Pakistan was providing safe haven to the terrorists we hunt. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and…

Too much blood has already been spilled in a conflict that the west cannot win, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones The test of any professed opposition to Donald Trump is what response is forthcoming when he starts dropping bombs or sending soldiers to die. There were those who spoke in grave tones about Trumps threat to world peace even implying he was an American Hitler but got teary-eyed as soon as he sent missiles hurtling unveiled plans to send more American soldiers to the graveyard of Afghanistan and he wants…

Once she was an inspiration. Now, silent on the plight of the Rohingya, she is complicit in crimes against humanity, writes the Guardian columnist George Monbiot Few of us expect much from political leaders: to do otherwise is to invite despair. But to Aung San Suu Kyi we entrusted our hopes. To mention her name was to invoke patience and resilience in the face of suffering, courage and determination in the unyielding struggle for freedom. She was an inspiration to us all. Friends of mine devoted their working lives to…

Tensions in India over patriotic oath for children and order for Islamic schools to film independence day ceremonies National flags are being hawked at traffic lights, the Indian parliament has been illuminated, and monkey traps have been installed around Delhi monuments as India prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its independence. Above Pakistans capital, Islamabad, this weekend, air force jets left a multicoloured trail as they rehearsed for the largest air show in the countrys history on Monday, when it celebrates its own creation in 1947. Indian prime minister…

Families living on riverbanks of north-east India claim pleas for help following devastating floods have been ignored on religious and racial grounds The Indian government has been accused of religious and racial discrimination after members of the Chakma ethnic group said their pleas for help following the

Landmark move marks first time UNs human rights group has intervened in an individual case, yet campaigners say Nepals government is unlikely to act The UN human rights committee has urged Nepal to investigate the gang-rape of a woman during the countrys civil war in a landmark decision that is the first to deal with an individual case of sexual violence during the conflict. The conflict between Maoist guerrillas and government forces that raged in Nepal from 1996 to 2006, it is believed such crimes were widespread. Research by Redress,…

Editorial urges women to invite like-minded sisters to secret gatherings and to learn how to use weapons and grenades The Pakistani Taliban have published the first edition of a magazine aimed at convincing women to join them and practise jihad. The inaugural front cover of Sunnat-i-Khaula which translates as The Way of Khaula and refers to a 7th-century female Muslim warrior shows a woman veiled from head to toe. The 45-page magazine attempts to depict support from a section of society traditionally despised by the militant group. As well as…

Vijender Singh makes gesture of peace to Zulpikar Maimaitiali amid increasingly tense stand-off in Himalayas An Indian boxer won a title fight against a Chinese opponent before offering to hand back the prize as a gesture of peace between the two nations which are locked in a territorial dispute in the Himalayas. Vijender Singh beat Zulpikar Maimaitiali on points on Saturday to retain his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title and take his opponents WBO Oriental super middleweight belt. After the unanimous verdict in Mumbai, Singh hugged Bollywood star Amitabh…

More than a million were killed and many millions more displaced by Indian partition. Authors consider its bloody legacy and the crises now facing their countries Pankaj Mishra Pankaj Mishra. Photograph: Windham-Campbell Prize To think about partition on its 70th anniversary is to think, unavoidably, about the extraordinary crisis in India today. The 50th and 60th anniversaries of one of the 20th centurys biggest calamities were leavened with the possibility that India, liberal-democratic, secular and energetically globalising, was finally achieving the greatness its famous leaders had promised. In contrast to…

An Afghan father and son who are trying to make a new life in Britain suffer a huge setback as their initial asylum application is turned down Lately, Said Norzai hasnt felt much like going to the mosque. He hasnt lost faith. Hes just tired of the questions, and one in particular: how is the asylum claim going? I dont like to go when I dont have any good news, he says. The first question after Hello, how are you? is Whats happening with your case? Its out of kindness…